The International Papillomavirus Workshop-1987 will be held June 14-18, 1987 at Georgetown University. This meeting represents the sixth in a series of yearly international workshops with open attendance since 1982. The aim is to bring together clinicians and basic scientists interested in the papillomaviruses. Because the papillomaviruses are associated with a variety of clinical syndromes and the fact that these viruses are biologically interesting, attendance will consist of molecular biologists, cell biologists, virologists, pathologists, and clinicians specializing in gynecology, otolaryngology and dermatology. In the last five years, the papillomavirus field has undergone evolution to the present time in which key areas of research have been defined and must be developed. These areas include: (1) an understanding of genomic organization and the mechanisms whereby genomic expression is regulated; (2) improved methods of papillomavirus infection; (3) prospective studies for clear understanding of the biology of papillomavirus-induced disease; (4) a cogent definition of virus-host interactions and development of animal model systems; (5) role of the immune system in papillomavirus infection; (6) evaluation of modalities of therapy of human disease. These areas are interrelated and require close interaction among various scientific and clinical disciplines. Although there is increasing awareness of the importance of papillomaviruses in human disease, this virus group remains complex to the new investigator. The rapid expansion of knowledge in this field has meant that much of the new information is not yet published. Workshops are a mechanism whereby a new investigator to a field as well as more established scientists remain current.